Published: Sunday, July 22, 2012 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 9:48 p.m.

It appears the two half-mill school tax referendums — one aimed at maintaining aging schools and the other at bolstering credit-recovery programs and paying for music and art teachers and media specialists — have high public relations hurdles to clear.

More than half of Marion County district administrators, School Board members and school-related political candidates do not support the referendums, which will be on the Aug. 14 primary ballot.

It’s a public relations nightmare just three weeks before voters decide the fate of the taxes, which would each cost property owners 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable property value.

Of the eight political candidates — four vying for school superintendent and four vying for two open School Board seats — seven do not support the capital tax and six do not support the operations tax.

Of those eight candidates, three are current district administrators, one is a board member, and two are retired principals. The School Board itself is divided on the issue, though there is narrow support for both measures.

“If they (school administrators and politicians) are not in favor of the taxes, then it’s a waste of time and effort to put them on the ballot in the first place,” said Doug Guetzloe, founder of Ax the Tax, a Florida anti-tax group.

The Marion County tax referendums weren’t on the group’s radar, mainly because the measures are on the primary ballot, he said.

Guetzloe said his group will decide whether to mobilize in Marion County to actively fight Marions United for Public Education, which launched a “Yes! for Marion Schools” campaign in May.

The “Yes!” campaign is also supported by the teachers union, which is called the Marion Education Association.

The half-mill capital tax would generate $7.4 million per year for school maintenance, computer technology and an alternative school. The half-mill operations tax would generate $7.4 million per year for reading teachers and credit-recovery programs, as well as the hiring of media specialists and music and art teachers.

Superintendent of Schools Jim Yancey said the school district has been frugal with taxpayer dollars during the five-year funding crisis.

Over the years, Yancey has cut spending at schools and enforced hiring freezes mid-year so millions of dollars in reserve money could be rolled over to the next year to help pay for programs, thus avoiding layoffs.

In recent years, the district has been reducing the number of music and art teachers, as well as media specialists.

The state is now issuing PECO (Public Education Capital Outlay) money, which covers school maintenance, only to charter schools. If the capital tax fails, the district will only have $1 million — $20,000 per school — for repairs in the coming budget year.

If one school has a major equipment failure, such as an air conditioning chiller, the district could be in trouble.

The district’s operating budget has declined by $50 million, or 17 percent, since 2007-08. The school district’s budget was cut $24 million in 2011-12 alone — $5 million more than expected.

Shrinking budget

Yancey said the need for the referendums could have been eliminated several years ago, when the state allowed districts to levy a quarter-mill critical needs tax for two years. The School Board voted it down.

Yancey attempted to pre-empt the need for referendums last year by asking the School Board to launch a hybrid four-day school week and to outsource bus transportation. Both measures, combined, would have saved $6 million.

When the board voted down the ideas, Yancey suggested closing schools. That also failed.

Yancey said if the referendums fail, he will continue a hiring freeze of all non-critical jobs, including non-core teaching positions. That means the district may not meet class-size amendment mandates.

The district may have to pay fines in lieu of meeting every class-size amendment mandate. Yancey said it is cheaper to pay fines than to meet class-size figures: no more than 18 student in K-5 classrooms, 22 in middle school or 25 in high school.

West Port High Principal Jayne Ellspermann said the freeze is hurting all principals, especially at high schools. She needs a teacher specializing in engineering and mathematics. Many of these specialized teachers have been hired by other districts, and it will be difficult for Marion schools to fill the positions even if the taxes pass.

“For us, it will definitely impact the start of school,” she noted.

‘Yes! For Marion Schools’

A group of citizens have been meeting at the Fort King Presbyterian Church on Southeast 36th Avenue since May.

The “Yes!” campaign — a brainchild of the Marions United and backed by Awake Marion, a grass-roots community organization — targets voters who traditionally vote in general elections but rarely in primaries.

GOP voters are expected to hit the polls for two big primaries: sheriff and superintendent of schools. The group is targeting independent and Democratic voters, who have fewer races on their ballots and thus may not show for the primary.

“Yes!” officials want these targeted voters to know they can vote on the referendums, as well as the nonpartisan School Board races. So far the group has made more than 2,000 phone calls. The goal is 6,000.

“Vote ‘yes’ to invest in strong schools and strong communities,” said Ray Seaman, 25, a member of the Marions United and the “Yes!” campaign.

Nancy Noonan, Marions United president and “Yes!” campaign chairwoman, said the capital and operations measures are needed.

“Everyone wants world-class schools,” Noonan said. “There is no such thing as a good, cheap school.”

Noonan continued: “Nonetheless, as a community we must lead and demonstrate that the investment in educating our young people is an investment in a stronger Marion County.”

Darlene Hartley, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary music teacher, said the district is not replacing retiring music teachers. As they leave, district administrators restructure, often assigning one music teacher to two schools.

“It (the operations tax measure) would not be improving our music programs; it would only be restoring them back to where they were,” Hartley said.

MEA President Chris Altobello, the teachers’ union chief, said both half-mill referendums will help close the state funding gap.

The district cannot hire a company to promote the tax measures. Yancey sent a few AlertNow! phone messages to parents, informing them that the referendums would be on the primary ballot. But the district is only encouraging people to vote; it isn’t telling them how to vote.

‘Ax the Tax’

Guetzloe, who founded Ax the Tax in 1982, said his group is actively campaigning against similar measures in Seminole and Brevard counties. During his 30 years, he has learned one thing:

“School boards are the worst stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

Guetzloe said schools statewide get billions of dollars annually, about half of all the state and local revenue. “With that much money, all students should get straight A’s and be in ‘A’ districts,” he said.

A fifth-generation Floridian and the son of two retired schoolteachers, Guetzloe said all school boards whine about not having money.

“The Marion County School Board, like any other school board, does not have a money problem. It has a spending problem,” Guetzloe said. “They really should not ask the taxpayer to pay more into a system that is broken.”

Guetzloe said Marion County’s student enrollment has remained stagnant in recent years; thus, there is no reason the board should be asking for more money.

“It’s like giving a bottle of whiskey to a drunk,” he said.

He noted that board members need to have the guts to start a new budget from scratch, “throwing the baby out with the bath water.”

Mixed support

School Board member Ron Crawford, known for his conservative tax approach, said the half-mill for capital projects is a must.

“I would hope that the voters understand that we are doing this out of pure desperation,” Crawford said.

He said the state has not ponied up any PECO funds, money used for maintenance projects, in two years. Without the half-mill capital referendum, he said schools will begin falling apart.

“We wish there was a magic construction technique where schools will not deteriorate, but there isn’t,” he said.

Crawford said he had been in favor of the operations tax — that is, until the School Board passed the recent pay increase for many employees, reinstituting experience steps for the last two years for many teachers.

But Crawford said it’s hard to defend that tax now that the district gave the increases, which will cost $5 million in increased salaries in 2012-13.

Board members Judi Zanetti, Jackie Porter and Angie Boynton approved the increases. Crawford and Bobby James voted no because the measure would tap needed reserve funding.

He worries the public will mistakenly think that the operations tax, which cannot be used for salary increases, will be put toward reserves — in essence, paying for the salary boosts through the back door.

But, in fact, that’s not where the money would go. The referendum language specifies that the funds would pay for credit-recover programs, music teachers, art teachers and so on.

James, Yancey and Zanetti are all for both taxes.

James said “politics” is the reason most of the candidates are against both measures. James said the district is running out of funding options.

Wally Wagoner, deputy superintendent of operations, and Diana Greene, deputy superintendent of curriculum, are both against the half-mill referendum for capital expenses.

They believe the district should have renewed the half-cent sales tax after it expired in 2009. That five-year tax, which can only be used for capital projects, generated more than $100 million to build new schools.

Though Wagoner is also against the half-mill for operations, Greene said she believes that the revenue is needed to continue important programs, especially those valuable credit-recovery and remedial programs.

Many argue that not all voters own property, which means many of the people voting for the measure are not paying school taxes. A half-cent sales tax would require all to pay.

Wagoner and Greene are two of the four candidates seeking to replace Yancey, who is not seeking another term. Greene, the lone Democrat, will face the GOP nominee in November.

Porter, who is also running for superintendent, is against both taxes. She was the sole dissenter in the vote to put the measures on the ballot.

The final superintendent candidate, district administrator George Tomyn, agreed that the time is not right to ask voters for more money.

“In light of our current economy,” he said, “it is not the right thing to do.”

<p>It appears the two half-mill school tax referendums — one aimed at maintaining aging schools and the other at bolstering credit-recovery programs and paying for music and art teachers and media specialists — have high public relations hurdles to clear.</p><p>More than half of Marion County district administrators, School Board members and school-related political candidates do not support the referendums, which will be on the Aug. 14 primary ballot.</p><p>It's a public relations nightmare just three weeks before voters decide the fate of the taxes, which would each cost property owners 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable property value.</p><p>Of the eight political candidates — four vying for school superintendent and four vying for two open School Board seats — seven do not support the capital tax and six do not support the operations tax.</p><p>Of those eight candidates, three are current district administrators, one is a board member, and two are retired principals. The School Board itself is divided on the issue, though there is narrow support for both measures.</p><p>“If they (school administrators and politicians) are not in favor of the taxes, then it's a waste of time and effort to put them on the ballot in the first place,” said Doug Guetzloe, founder of Ax the Tax, a Florida anti-tax group.</p><p>The Marion County tax referendums weren't on the group's radar, mainly because the measures are on the primary ballot, he said.</p><p>Guetzloe said his group will decide whether to mobilize in Marion County to actively fight Marions United for Public Education, which launched a “Yes! for Marion Schools” campaign in May.</p><p>The “Yes!” campaign is also supported by the teachers union, which is called the Marion Education Association.</p><p>The half-mill capital tax would generate $7.4 million per year for school maintenance, computer technology and an alternative school. The half-mill operations tax would generate $7.4 million per year for reading teachers and credit-recovery programs, as well as the hiring of media specialists and music and art teachers.</p><p>Superintendent of Schools Jim Yancey said the school district has been frugal with taxpayer dollars during the five-year funding crisis.</p><p>Over the years, Yancey has cut spending at schools and enforced hiring freezes mid-year so millions of dollars in reserve money could be rolled over to the next year to help pay for programs, thus avoiding layoffs.</p><p>In recent years, the district has been reducing the number of music and art teachers, as well as media specialists.</p><p>The state is now issuing PECO (Public Education Capital Outlay) money, which covers school maintenance, only to charter schools. If the capital tax fails, the district will only have $1 million — $20,000 per school — for repairs in the coming budget year.</p><p>If one school has a major equipment failure, such as an air conditioning chiller, the district could be in trouble.</p><p>The district's operating budget has declined by $50 million, or 17 percent, since 2007-08. The school district's budget was cut $24 million in 2011-12 alone — $5 million more than expected.</p><p><b>Shrinking budget</b></p><p>Yancey said the need for the referendums could have been eliminated several years ago, when the state allowed districts to levy a quarter-mill critical needs tax for two years. The School Board voted it down.</p><p>Yancey attempted to pre-empt the need for referendums last year by asking the School Board to launch a hybrid four-day school week and to outsource bus transportation. Both measures, combined, would have saved $6 million.</p><p>When the board voted down the ideas, Yancey suggested closing schools. That also failed.</p><p>Yancey said if the referendums fail, he will continue a hiring freeze of all non-critical jobs, including non-core teaching positions. That means the district may not meet class-size amendment mandates.</p><p>The district may have to pay fines in lieu of meeting every class-size amendment mandate. Yancey said it is cheaper to pay fines than to meet class-size figures: no more than 18 student in K-5 classrooms, 22 in middle school or 25 in high school.</p><p>West Port High Principal Jayne Ellspermann said the freeze is hurting all principals, especially at high schools. She needs a teacher specializing in engineering and mathematics. Many of these specialized teachers have been hired by other districts, and it will be difficult for Marion schools to fill the positions even if the taxes pass.</p><p>“For us, it will definitely impact the start of school,” she noted.</p><p><b>'Yes! For Marion Schools'</b></p><p>A group of citizens have been meeting at the Fort King Presbyterian Church on Southeast 36th Avenue since May.</p><p>The “Yes!” campaign — a brainchild of the Marions United and backed by Awake Marion, a grass-roots community organization — targets voters who traditionally vote in general elections but rarely in primaries.</p><p>GOP voters are expected to hit the polls for two big primaries: sheriff and superintendent of schools. The group is targeting independent and Democratic voters, who have fewer races on their ballots and thus may not show for the primary.</p><p>“Yes!” officials want these targeted voters to know they can vote on the referendums, as well as the nonpartisan School Board races. So far the group has made more than 2,000 phone calls. The goal is 6,000.</p><p>“Vote 'yes' to invest in strong schools and strong communities,” said Ray Seaman, 25, a member of the Marions United and the “Yes!” campaign.</p><p>Nancy Noonan, Marions United president and “Yes!” campaign chairwoman, said the capital and operations measures are needed.</p><p>“Everyone wants world-class schools,” Noonan said. “There is no such thing as a good, cheap school.”</p><p>Noonan continued: “Nonetheless, as a community we must lead and demonstrate that the investment in educating our young people is an investment in a stronger Marion County.”</p><p>Darlene Hartley, Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary music teacher, said the district is not replacing retiring music teachers. As they leave, district administrators restructure, often assigning one music teacher to two schools.</p><p>“It (the operations tax measure) would not be improving our music programs; it would only be restoring them back to where they were,” Hartley said.</p><p>MEA President Chris Altobello, the teachers' union chief, said both half-mill referendums will help close the state funding gap.</p><p>The district cannot hire a company to promote the tax measures. Yancey sent a few AlertNow! phone messages to parents, informing them that the referendums would be on the primary ballot. But the district is only encouraging people to vote; it isn't telling them how to vote.</p><p><b>'Ax the Tax'</b></p><p>Guetzloe, who founded Ax the Tax in 1982, said his group is actively campaigning against similar measures in Seminole and Brevard counties. During his 30 years, he has learned one thing:</p><p>“School boards are the worst stewards of taxpayer dollars.”</p><p>Guetzloe said schools statewide get billions of dollars annually, about half of all the state and local revenue. “With that much money, all students should get straight A's and be in 'A' districts,” he said.</p><p>A fifth-generation Floridian and the son of two retired schoolteachers, Guetzloe said all school boards whine about not having money.</p><p>“The Marion County School Board, like any other school board, does not have a money problem. It has a spending problem,” Guetzloe said. “They really should not ask the taxpayer to pay more into a system that is broken.”</p><p>Guetzloe said Marion County's student enrollment has remained stagnant in recent years; thus, there is no reason the board should be asking for more money.</p><p>“It's like giving a bottle of whiskey to a drunk,” he said.</p><p>He noted that board members need to have the guts to start a new budget from scratch, “throwing the baby out with the bath water.”</p><p><b>Mixed support</b></p><p>School Board member Ron Crawford, known for his conservative tax approach, said the half-mill for capital projects is a must.</p><p>“I would hope that the voters understand that we are doing this out of pure desperation,” Crawford said.</p><p>He said the state has not ponied up any PECO funds, money used for maintenance projects, in two years. Without the half-mill capital referendum, he said schools will begin falling apart.</p><p>“We wish there was a magic construction technique where schools will not deteriorate, but there isn't,” he said.</p><p>Crawford said he had been in favor of the operations tax — that is, until the School Board passed the recent pay increase for many employees, reinstituting experience steps for the last two years for many teachers.</p><p>But Crawford said it's hard to defend that tax now that the district gave the increases, which will cost $5 million in increased salaries in 2012-13.</p><p>Board members Judi Zanetti, Jackie Porter and Angie Boynton approved the increases. Crawford and Bobby James voted no because the measure would tap needed reserve funding.</p><p>He worries the public will mistakenly think that the operations tax, which cannot be used for salary increases, will be put toward reserves — in essence, paying for the salary boosts through the back door.</p><p>But, in fact, that's not where the money would go. The referendum language specifies that the funds would pay for credit-recover programs, music teachers, art teachers and so on.</p><p>James, Yancey and Zanetti are all for both taxes.</p><p>James said “politics” is the reason most of the candidates are against both measures. James said the district is running out of funding options.</p><p>Wally Wagoner, deputy superintendent of operations, and Diana Greene, deputy superintendent of curriculum, are both against the half-mill referendum for capital expenses.</p><p>They believe the district should have renewed the half-cent sales tax after it expired in 2009. That five-year tax, which can only be used for capital projects, generated more than $100 million to build new schools.</p><p>Though Wagoner is also against the half-mill for operations, Greene said she believes that the revenue is needed to continue important programs, especially those valuable credit-recovery and remedial programs.</p><p>Many argue that not all voters own property, which means many of the people voting for the measure are not paying school taxes. A half-cent sales tax would require all to pay.</p><p>Wagoner and Greene are two of the four candidates seeking to replace Yancey, who is not seeking another term. Greene, the lone Democrat, will face the GOP nominee in November.</p><p>Porter, who is also running for superintendent, is against both taxes. She was the sole dissenter in the vote to put the measures on the ballot.</p><p>The final superintendent candidate, district administrator George Tomyn, agreed that the time is not right to ask voters for more money.</p><p>“In light of our current economy,” he said, “it is not the right thing to do.”</p><p><i>Contact Joe Callahan at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com.</i></p>